Stranded
by Mastermind416
Summary: The Fire Nation ship "Gudan" was built to house 2,000 prisoners, and on this voyage one of them happens to be Azula. Avatar Aang has convinced Fire Lord Zuko to allow him to travel on the vessel as an escort, and to ensure Azula is treated well with the other inmates. But something goes wrong, and they wind up waking up on an uninhabited island... with no hope of escape. Azulaang
1. I

**Stranded I**

The Fire Nation ship _Gudan_ was preparing for launch. The food had been delivered to the galley, the engines were well oiled and fueled, and the captain was standing by to send her into the waiting arms of the sea. A small crowd of people were waiting to see the hull of steel set off, mostly family members saying goodbye to someone from the crew. All that was missing were the special guests.

A squad of Fire Nation soldiers, surrounding a girl in chains, were marching towards the awaiting ship with hopeful anticipations of stopping by the kitchen. She had her ebony hair acting as a curtain for her face, and clean, red Fire Nation clothing on.

The last airbending master in the world, dressed in yellow and orange monk clothing, was tailing behind the procession. The small group of people waving to the crew stopped and turned, watching the squad of firebenders escort the young prisoner.

When Aang passed by the group they resumed their cheery feel and some even waved to him, to which he waved back with a smile.

The soldiers made their way to the boarding bridge, where a soldier marked them off a check list and stepped aside for their entrance.

Aang walked to the bridge and the soldier looked at his clipboard, "You're not scheduled for a boarding, Avatar."

Aang pulled a scroll of paper from the inside of his cloak, "Zuko said I could come. He said to give you this."

The soldier unrolled the paper and scanned the document for a moment, before giving an approving nod and allowing him to proceed. "Everything seems to be in order, go on ahead."

Aang smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

He nodded and stepped back in place before another prisoner was being escorted to the bridge.

As Aang entered, he was greeted by another soldier, except this one had his helmet off, and a golden emblem on his shoulder proclaimed him a Royal Officer, "Ah, Avatar Aang. An honor to meet you." he held out his hand to which Aang shook. "It's a pleasure to have someone like you aboard the _Gudan_, the crew is ecstatic to your coming."

Aang smiled widely, "Thank you, Officer...?"

"Zhang," he answered, "Officer Zhang, at your service." he gave a short, courteous bow.

Aang returned with his own short bow, "It's a pleasure to be aboard Officer Zhang." He looked over at the girl and asked, "I've been told that she will be treated well."

Zhang nodded, "There are over 2,000 prisoners on board the _Gudan_ for its ten day voyage, Azula will be treated the best of them all."

A guard ran in from a hallway to the left and whispered something in Zhang's ear. He stood in thought for a while, taking in the news, before excusing him off with a nod. "If you will excuse me Avatar, I'm afraid I have to help with some... conflicting matters with a prisoner. Corporal Tuma will escort you to your cabin, which I hope you will find to your liking." With that, he nodded to Tuma and walked away.

Tuma stepped forward, "If you would, sir."

Aang nodded and followed him through a hallway to the right.

The ship was a great example of Fire Nation engineering, as well as human advancement itself. She was fitted with three coal-fueled engines, capable of putting out enough horsepower to allow the four ton ship to travel at a good twelve knots (about the same as twelve miles per hour.) The ship was fitted with a four hundred man crew, and modified to hold up to 2,000 prisoners for transport to correctional facilities, prison labor constructs, or asylums.

Tuma led Aang to his cabin and unlocked the door for him, handing Aang the key.

"Thanks." Aang said, with no reply given back as the soldier began to walk back to his duties.

Aang took a sec to look around, the bare metal walls of the place gave the ship a boring feel, and he felt it a miracle the hunk of steel didn't just drop down to the bottom of the sea floor.

He opened the door to his cabin and walked in, closing the door behind him. It was a good cabin, however basic it may be. There was a queen sized bed, better than the usual twin that people got on cruises such as these, and a shelf that had scrolls on just about every aspect of bending. A toilet and other related things were located in a small room off to the side, as well as another closet at the other end of the room for storing clothes. The floor Aang was on was elevated about 100 feet from the sea, giving him a nice view of the ocean through his small window.

The only light source in the room was a lamp attached to the ceiling by a metal string, which could be turned on by flicking a switch located close to the door. A nightstand was by the bed with a book called _Of the Avatar._ He didn't mind going through it, he knew pretty much all there was to know on that subject.

He walked over to the bed and felt the thin hide covers, thin because of the high temperatures it could get to in an enclosed steel can.

Aang walked over to the bookcase and opened up a scroll on _Theories of the Airbenders._ He almost laughed at some of the wild speculations people expected of his culture, some even conspiring that they were a demonic cult, being purged by the Fire Nation for their "sins."

Before he moved on to a scroll on firebending, a knock was heard at the door.

Aang opened it to a woman in white, staring up at him with her ancient, stark blue eyes. "Ah, Avatar. It is good to see you here."

He smiled, "It's is good to be here," he bowed, "what brings you to my cabin, would you like to come in?"

She held up her hand, "No thank you, I won't be here long." her smile faded, "I am Master Healer Yuchi. I oversee the medical operations of 2,400 men and women, physical as well as menta. I am here to give you daily reports on Princess," she corrected herself, "former Princess Azula's mental health as you escort her to the asylum."

Aang gave a weak smile, "So, how is she?"

Her face took on a worried expression, "She's not well. Her insanity has almost taken complete hold of her mind, and if that ever does happen, she will be almost incurable."

Aang looked worried, "Is there anyway I could help?"

She shook her head, "I'm afraid not. Seeing you daily could simply be a reminder of her failure, which could also lead to more thoughts of her mother, her father, and Zuko. Which obviously wouldn't be good for her health."

Aang nodded, in thought, "Could we at least try? There's gotta be someway I could help her."

She thought for a moment, "Well... your supernatural connection to the spirits may assist her in some way, but that's not for certain, and even if it would help her... we don't know how." she thought for a moment, "If you would like to visit her, I will allow you to just this one time. If it works, we might work out a schedule for your visits."

Aang let out a breath and smiled, "Thank you."

The healer looked up with a look of suspicion, "Why do you want to help her so much? She almost killed you. Many times."

Aang's eyes appeared darkened and his stance slouched, he looked in her eyes and she could discern a deep feeling of guilt and distress, "I'm the cause of someone losing everything. I'm the reason somebody has gone almost completely insane. I have ruined many people's lives, while the job of the Avatar is to try and help everyone."

The healer sighed, "The Avatar's job is to provide balance, nothing more. I will say nothing else in the matter. If you would, Avatar, please follow me."

**So yeah, my first Azulaang kicks off with a not so big bang, sue me xD**

**I've had this idea on my mind for _FO-EVAH!_ So long in fact that I have run through the whole thing in my mind from start to finish at least five times... each with different results.**

**Some inspiration for this was drawn from TintedS's story The Sapphire Flame, another azulaang fanfic.**

**Quick clarification! The "I" at the end of the title is a Roman Numeral, just FYI. **

**Alert & fav if you think it's worth it, review whenever possible.**

**PEACE**


	2. II

**Stranded II**

The healer in white, Yuchi, was leading Aang through a set of bare metal hallways aboard the Fire Nation _Gudan._ They went up a staircase, through a maze of hallways, and then to a large, three inch thick metal door with multiple sets of chains keeping it secured.

Yuchi turned to Aang, "Avatar, once we enter this room, I would like to ask that you do not speak until we are past it. This is where the more violent inmates are kept, and just the sight of you is enough to give them a reason to become demented."

He nodded, "Of course."

She sighed, "Here we go. Open the gate if you would, please."

A guard off to the side stepped up and unlocked the first padlock with a key, then took out a different key and turned to the next one. It took a full half a minute to get the door ready, and even then it took two soldiers' full strength to push it open.

When the doors were opened, an eerie aura of malice drifted in and made Aang shutter. When they entered, the silence was enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight, as if sentinels watching his back.

The first prisoner he could see within his cell was obviously an earthbender. He had no shackles on his wrists or feet, and the muscles on his arms bulged, so large that any sane man would not dare look him in the eyes.

The second, his cellmate, was most likely a firebender. His hair was slick with grease and pulled back, and both his arms and legs were shackled tightly. So much so that even the sight of them made you feel uncomfortable.

There were hundreds others, some squished four to a cell, other with one all to themselves, but no matter the state of sanity, nor the strength of the individual, all seemed to stare at Aang with their evil, loathing eyes.

He had only made it a few steps in when the taunting started, "Hey! Look! It's the last person alive to be able to wave some air in my face! Go ahead, scrawny, do something!"

The threats and screaming grew a little afterwards, some of them yelling at the top of their lungs to challenge the Avatar, others simply staring in their hateful malice.

He had walked halfway across the hall when the rowdiness was starting to escalate. People were shaking their cell bars, some taking the tin cups given to them and rattling them as loud as they could.

Aang decided to sneak a peek at the top levels of the room. Possibly the worst idea of his life.

He looked up and saw much more prisoners staring back at him. He originally thought it was uncomfortable to keep four inmates to a cell, what he didn't notice were the eight and nine celled prisoners on the top level.

As soon as Aang's eyes met one of the hundreds of inmates, they began to make the loudest and most ear splitting noises bearable to the human ear, and that was just the beginning. Some began to throw things from their room, ranging from cups, to cards, to pai sho tiles.

Yuchi turned and gave Aang a terrorizing stare, before turning around and walking as fast as she could, making Aang have to break into a short run to catch up with her.

"RUN AIR BOY, RUN BEFORE THEY-"

The door shut behind him.

Yuchi turned, "What did you do? I told you not to speak!"

"I didn't! All I did was look up at the top level!"

She scowled and turned back to the hall, "What is done is done, you can't do anything about it without making it worse. Follow me." She returned to a pace a little faster than what they had originally set off at.

Aang followed her as they went straight, through a hallway lined with dim, red electric lights. It never broke into a turn or another doorway, it simply went straight, and slightly upward.

When they had finally made it to the door, Yuchi turned to the Avatar, "When you enter, speak calmly and do not mention anything obtaining to the war. That is one of the things she cannot stand, as our younger healers have discovered the hard way."

Aang nodded, "I'll try and keep her from getting too out of hand."

She looked down and shook her head, "I don't think you'll have too much control over that aspect of her. Please be careful."

She stepped to the side and motioned for the door to be opened.

Two of the four guards nodded and took out keys. They both went to opposite ends of the door, putting in their keys simultaneously before turning them.

The door's locks clicked in acceptance.

"Make it quick, Avatar." one of the guards said spitefully before he opened the door.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

_I killed him once, I could have done it again._

_But you didn't, now look where you are._

_I was so close! If he had let me go with him, we could have watched them burn together! I could have saved him!_

_He never wanted you with him, you weren't good enough._

_No! That's not true! You know I was just as good as him, if not better._

_We. We were just as good. And no, I don't believe that. _

_If only I could wrap my hands around your throat, you know I could kill you in an inst-_

_If you were just as good him he would have let you come. But he didn't. He didn't trust you._

_Why do you trouble me with these incessant ramblings! You've said it yourself, you're me, therefore the more you annoy me, the more you annoy yourself._

She didn't answer to that, she never answers to that.

_I'm going to shut you out now._

_No, you're not, you need my judgement._

_Your judgement is unneeded. I'm shutting you out._

If I had waited for her to answer, she would have stalled with questions I would have _have_ to answered, so I put up the wall.

When I removed myself from her influence, I immediately went back to the cold, black, swirling mass of confusion that was my insanity.

The swirling mass of blackness consumed my mind, racking my thoughts with a round of bizarre punches to the face that would make sense when none should exist.

I would occasionally work up the energy to try and fight back, taking the blue flame that was my soul and battering the blackness with a barrage of flame. But to no avail.

The attacks would be rebounded back with full force. My flame would be swept aside, replaced by more blackness, more hopelessness, more despair.

My soul would flicker and dim, become almost nothing. The only help would be the bar of sanity I hold on to, hope. But it was shrinking every second, threatening to give way and let me drop full on into my insanity, or go back into the deceptive "solitude" that was the voice in my head, her words slick with honey.

It had been weeks -or was it months? Days maybe?- since I had seen light. True light, pure light. The kind that not only lit up my mind, but would help sweep away the darkness. Oh the darkness here, it erases most of my memories and replaces them with their black counterparts, I hardly remember any aspect of my life.

I don't know where I am, the last thing I remember is being woken up, and walking. Oh the terrible walking.

My legs would move, my bones would move, my skin would move, and that would be no problem. But with every passing footstep I would feel it. I could feel it on every inch of my skin, feel it rush in when I moved, feel it inside of me when I breathed. I hated it.

I hated that it was the only thing keeping me alive, the only thing helping me stay from teetering into the black monsters that encircle me, snapping and growling constantly.

The only thing that could help me cope was destroying it, burning it. When I could firebend, I would burn it as much as I could, use it to feed _my_ power and expand _my_ nation. Or at least turn it into smoke, the only form of air I could tolerate.

_Wake up._

A voice, golden in sound, white in presence.

_Wake up._

Strange, the blackness quivers at its sound.

_Awaken!_

My mind is clearing, the blackness was rushing away.

_Stand!_

_What, where am I?_

_AWAKEN!_

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

Aang entered the cell and looked around. It was noticeably bare, with only a desk and two chairs off on one corner of the room, and a small bookshelf with a bare few empty scrolls lain about carelessly.

_This is not my idea of being treated fairly._ He thought.

He heard the rustling of cloth and turned to the right, seeing a bed -no, a cot- with one of the same kind of thin blankets used in Aang's room.

On the cot was a girl, with black hair and bags around her eyes. Her face carried the expression of one burdened with the blackest of pains, her hard, steady wince causing sweat to appear on her forehead.

He sighed, and grabbed a seat on one of the wooden chairs in the corner.

He sat there and began thinking of what he would say to her, how could he possibly even begin the impossible repair project he was trying to undertake?

She stirred.

Aang looked up swiftly, surprised.

_I would have thought it would take much longer. _he thought.

She clenched tighter into a ball, hugging onto a world she was having trouble comprehending, when she suddenly stopped, relaxed her muscles, and popped open her eyes.

The first thing she saw was him, sitting there smugly in his orange robes, eyeing the one thing he had come to destroy, when he had already destroyed her.

Her mind cleared a little more.

No, he wasn't eyeing her as if prey, it was more of a sympathetic look, one of sadness, remorse... what else is it in his eyes? The way he sits?

_Guilt._ she didn't know where the thought came from, but she went with it.

She said nothing, just stared at him with eyes showing neither hatred nor fear, simply curiosity.

They sat there for the longest time, each waiting for the other to speak.

Aang took it upon himself to start, after all, he _was_ the one to visit her, not the other way around. "Glad to see you're doing well."

Her glare turned from curiosity to annoyance, then to hatred, always the same dull hatred.

She didn't respond, "I thought they would have put you in with others. And that you might try to... well... kill them."

Her eyes remained their constant push of malice, as if she were trying to take her feeling of hatred and throw it at him.

Still no response. "I bet you're wondering why I'm even here in the first place. Funny thing seeing the one person who-" he remembered what Yuchi had said about being a reminder of her failures, "who... uh... has come to, visit you in a while, huh?"

If anything, she seemed angrier. He sighed, "Well, officially I'm here to escort you to the other asylum you're headed to. Must be good to hear something like that."

His attempts at sarcasm were even worse.

He blushed in embarrassment and tried to fight the instinct to leave, wanting at least to get a word out of her.

His mind raced but he came up with nothing.

He leaned forward in his chair and sighed, avoiding her eyes and choosing instead to stare at the ground.

They sat there for only a few minutes, but to them it felt like hours of nothingness, dotted by the occasional cough from an outside guard or clank from someplace within the vessel.

Finally, Aang decided it was time to leave, "This was... nice, meeting you. It's been a while."

He went to the door and gave it a knock, to which the door was opened. He took one last glance at her as he left, but she was turned over to the other side, scrunched once again into a ball, wincing from her mental pain.

"That was quick, I didn't think you to be a quitter." Yuchi said as he came out of the cell.

Aang's mind backtracked, _Did she just call me a quitter?_

"What do you mean?"

"I expected you to at least have waited an hour or so. No good giving up now when she could wake up later."

"Oh, she did wake up. She just didn't say anything."

Her eyes went wide, "She... woke up?"

"Yeah," he looked at her, confused, "what? Has she been unconscious this whole time?"

"She's been asleep almost the entirety of her stay at the asylum, at which I was her supervisor."

"So, just her waking up is a breakthrough?"

She thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "I wouldn't get your hopes up, but this seems like a step in the right direction, however small it may seem."

Aang began to smile a little, "So there's hope?"

"Slim... but it's there."

"Good."

_****_

**Thanks for the support, only one chapter in and three people have already alerted ^_^ but only one person's reviewed, so I implore you sir, do review this here installment :D**

**Thanks for reading, alert & fav if you think it's worth it, review whenever possible.**

**(something more for you who like this story, I like to think of X&Y, by Coldplay, to be a good song to describe the story, just something you might want to listen to :D)**

**PEACE MI HOMBRE!**


	3. III

**Stranded III**

A dockworker hauled another wooden crate onto a wheeled loading cart, readying a whole set of them for transport onto the _Gudan._

"Hey! You better have those crates ready before she sets off!" his superintendent shouted to him from on the ship, holding a clipboard, "She leaves in twenty, hurry up or you'll be fired!"

He sighed, _He always acts like this. And why are these crates so heavy? These are supposed to be filled with extra clothing, simple sheep-cow wool tunics and boots. It feels like a komodo rhino and four of its babies are squished in here!_

Another dock worker came up behind him, "You need some help there?"

He sighed in relief, "Thank the Spirits, I've been trying to haul these twelve crates onto this loading cart since I got here!"

The other worker surveyed the crates, "It can't be that hard, it's just," he looked at the tags attached to them, "extra clothing. Should be relatively easy."

"Then give it a go 'O Smart One,' let's see you try it out."

He squatted down and held one from the bottom, "See, the trick with these is trying to lift with your legs. If try with your back, all that's gonna happen is-" he tried to lift it, "Spirits! What is in these things?"

The other chuckled, "'Simple clothing' according to you."

He let go of the crate and stumbled back, "Oh shut up. Here, you grab that end and I'll get this one here."

Together, they managed to put the remaining crates onto the cart. By the time they were finished there was only eight minutes until the _Gudan_ would set sail.

They were breathing heavily and leaning against the crates, "Well, we better pull this thing into the cargo hold."

"Good idea." the other said.

They managed to wheel the cart into the ship and rest it beside some more crates of the same nature, some bigger, some smaller, others the exact same size.

Three soldiers, clad in the traditional Fire Nation uniforms, walked over to the two workers after watching them from the side, where they were laughing to themselves and picking fun at them in hushed voices.

"Alright, guys. Go ahead and head back to the docks before you become stow-aways. The ship's about to set."

They nodded and wiped off some sweat from their brows, gratefully accepting the end of their shifts, and gleefully waiting to see their family back home.

The guards each managed to get the crates down, one by one, together. Besides the fact that it took the three's combined might to lift them onto the flooring, it took a relatively short time.

When they were finished, a messenger boy, only 12 by the look of him, came in and told them it was time to report back to Officer Zhang.

When they left, they shut off the lights and locked the door to the cargo hold. Leaving the room in its solitary darkness.

A knock.

Three knocks.

A series of short taps, with longer taps interwound.

The long awaited seven knocks with three short taps afterwards.

One of the crates that the workers and soldiers had worked so hard to get to where they were burst open in a shatter of wooden planks and splinters, revealing a man clad in a green cloak with a hood over face, concealing it in shadows.

Nine of the other crates opened, revealing he other men, in similar clothing.

One of them stepped forward, "When will we get the job started?"

"Oh be quiet, we can at least take a break. Those workers tossed me around so hard I'm just about bruised all over."

"How're your bow and arrows?"

"They're alright. Those bastards are lucky I didn't take an arrow in the knee."

"Oh it's not that bad, at least they treated the equipment with relative ease." Another stepped forward.

"Well, when is this job going to get under way?"

"As soon as the signal starts. It'll be a few days though, we have to make sure we're out in the middle of the ocean, don't want anyone coming to the rescue."

"Well, what is the signal? No one's told me."

"That's for me to know. When it comes, though, you'll figure it out. As long as your thick skull can get the message across to your small brain." the whole group laughed, safe for the one being poked fun at.

"Hey! I'm the only one here who knows how to work the equipment, so if any of you say anything like that again, I won't tell you how Then you'll have to tell the boss why you didn't follow through with the orders." a proud smile came to his lips.

The laughter stopped, everyone looking down.

"Good," he said, "now tell me what this signal of yours is?"

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

Aang went up to his room and unlocked the door, walking into his cabin.

The window at the other end gave the room an eerie feeling at night, giving the objects in the room distorted shadows that seemed to dance when a fire was lit.

He used firebending to light a candle by his bed and started going over what he might do the next day.

_I could visit the Captain, I'm sure he would enjoy meeting the Avatar, especially since I'm the reason this ship has any significance. Or I could visit the healer again, I'm sure I could convince her to give me more time than she would normally allow with Azula. Or the galley... I can get hungry in this ship._

As he was thinking things over, he felt the ship suddenly rock. They were finally sailing.

Aang sighed in relief at the fact that it would all be over in a few weeks, and then he would be home to Katara.

Katara.

Just the thought of her sent his heart fluttering, and his soul soaring.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by another knock at the door, and reluctantly walked over to answer it.

He opened it to reveal a man in a red Fire Nation suit, not a uniform, a suit. As well as a special cap he had never seen before, and a trail of six or so guards behind him.

He smiled warmly, "Avatar Aang, it is an honor to have you aboard. I am Admiral Jiong, the captain of this here vessel and host to you and all aboard."

Aang fought off the urge to send him off and half thought about simply blowing them away with airbending and shutting the door, but simply said "Admiral Jiong, it's my pleasure to be aboard."

"The thought occurred to me as I was making preparations for the voyage, would you like to accompany me to dinner, as a formal gesture in good faith? All the important officials aboard will be there."

Aang thought over the situation, it was his duty to try and help... but was it worth it? He could get to know some of the more important officials, but how would that help? He could ask favors of them in Azula's favor, but he doubted they would agree to his terms alone. And he was tired.

Aang sat in thought for a moment, reviewing the pros and cons.

He sighed, "Sure, I would be happy to join you."

The admiral smiled, "Good. I hope you'll find the meeting to your liking."

They walked through more hallways, more bland tunnels, more staircases upwards, until they finally made it to a more lavish hallway, painted a golden yellow with red banners, and bowls of flowers on small tables off to the side.

They stopped at a door to the side, where smells of hot food came wafting through. The door was opened to a very lavish dining room, with men and women sitting at a large dining table, boarcupine heads mounted onto plaques on the walls, waiters standing off to the side to refill cups and mugs when necessary, and quiet conversation coming in from the group dining there.

Aang took a seat next to a woman in an Earth Kingdom dress, who was sipping happily at a crystal goblet filled with red wine, chatting with a Water Tribe official to her side.

When Aang took the seat, she immediately turned to see who would dare sit next to a noble woman of the mighty Earth Kingdom without permission from her first, but stopped mid-breath to see the Avatar.

"Oh! Avatar! What an honor to see you here!"

_Typical noble snobbiness. _Aang thought.

But before she could go on about political affairs, promotions for deals highly favored to the Earth Kingdom, and the all-time favorite pleasantries, Admiral Jiong saw that Aang was in trouble and grabbed a goblet and fork.

He tapped the rim of the cup, causing a deep resonating bell-like tone to fill the room.

"I'm glad to have you all here for the trip, it is an honor to see so many well-renowned faces and, as we all know, our very special guest Aang."

Aang was at least glad he didn't refer to him as "the Avatar" as most people had grown fond of referring to him as, but still sent him a quick glare for drawing the undue attention.

All eyes turned to Aang, who sat there awkwardly for a few seconds before quickly realizing that it was his turn to speak, "Oh! Uh. It's an honor to be here," honor, something he was sure no one here understood and a word he had heard far too much of today, "and an honor to be among so many powerful people." his mind raced at how he could do better, then an idea popped into his head.

He raised his glass, "A toast! To the great hospitality shown here by our host, Admiral Jiong."

Everyone just looked at him for a moment, before realizing he had actually said such a thing. However they took up their glasses just the same, because after all, he _was _the Avatar.

When they had put down their glasses, Jiong gave him a confused and slightly hurt look before moving on, "Let's hope that this voyage ends safely, and good luck to you all afterwards."

The normal conversation resumed and the woman once again attempted to make flattering conversation with Aang, before Jiong motioned for him to sit in a seat beside him.

"That was a... unique toast you lead, to say the least."

"What? I didn't find anything wrong with it."

Jiong gave a sympathetic look and sighed, "You're clearly not well affiliated with political affairs."

He meant no insult, he simply felt a little sorry for Aang.

"No, not really." Aang said, looking down.

He gave a slight chuckle, "Don't worry, it's alright. I made a similar mistake when I was learning to play this little game we all call politics. But next time, go ahead and let the host give the toast." he said with a wink.

Aang sighed in relief, it wasn't a complete loss.

After the dinner, and multiple moments where he would almost die from exhaustion, he had finally made it to his bed without harm.

He fumbled with the key, entered the blissful sanctum he temporarily called home, and fell onto the bed before falling into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

_This is going to be harder than I thought. _he thought before fully succumbing to the veil of sleep.

He would soon realize how true he really was.


	4. IV

**Stranded IV**

Aang awoke and stretched. He had gotten a good night's sleep, besides the occasional guard that would walk by noisily, waking him as he passed.

He yawned and sat there for a moment, basking in the calm nothingness that filled his mind.

A knock at the door.

He sighed and, grumbling all the way, went to answer it.

"Yuchi, what are you doing here so early?"

"Follow me, Avatar."

Aang watched as she started walking down the hall, before noticing that it was his turn to follow.

He ran and stopped beside her, "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "Azula's state has worsened. I wished to restrict pleasantries so I simply asked you to follow me. We mustn't waste any more time."

They walked much quicker than usual to the metal door, which was still open for them to pass, and quickly half ran, half walked through to the door at the end, ignoring the profanity yelled from the prisoners.

When they had made it to Azula's room, the guards already had their keys in the locks, awaiting for the Avatar's presence. They unlocked the door and opened it quickly.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

This is wrong, something is dreadfully wrong.

She's not here, she is always here, where is she?

The darkness outside has grown to almost unbearable levels. The only solace I have now is to go to her, and she's not here!

The room she is normally in is empty, not a soul (if she even is that).

A voice behind me, her voice.

Thank the Spirits! She's back!

She is, but... something is different.

I turn, and am faced by her, but there's someone else.

She's here, with her cut bangs, deep red eyes, and crazed makeup, but there's another, a boy.

He has shaggy hair, a scar on his... ZUKO.

_Why is he here!_

_He's part of the deal, you have voices in your head dear, don't be surprised if there's more than one._

_But, he's-_

_Your brother? _he answered.

_Yes, my brother. _I scowled.

_Calm down, it's not like you can do anything about it. After all, you're the insane one, not us._

What did she just say? _But... you're part of this! You're just as crazy as me!_

She sighed, _No. We're not. We are the voices in your head, you are the one we are speaking to. You're not crazy if you can't hear us, are you? Therefore we exist, the only thing making you crazy is whether you can hear us or not._

Damn their logic. All of this is insane. I'd much rather go back into the darkness than this.

_I'm going back._ I said.

_Go ahead, you'll get torn apart, limb by limb. I won't be surprised if you're not even able to come back, much less see the entrance._

_This is _my_ mind! I get to say whether I can do something or not!_

_Well then, by all means, just tell it to go away. _he said.

_You... will... _DIE!

I swung my right hand and sent a blast of blue flame at his face, something I had envisioned in my mind for years.

The fire struck his face, searing the flesh and burning it black. He was a corpse before he hit the ground.

_There, how's your sanity now!_

Something tapped my shoulder, _What!_ I spun around.

He was standing right there, as if he had been the whole time.

Him again? But, I just seared his flesh! His dead body is right in front of me!

_That was a good shot, I didn't see it coming._

There was someone else with him, the betrayer, the goth, the dullest person I have ever known, Mai...

_Hello, you._ she said.

_No!_ _this is madness!_ _You all shouldn't be in here!_

_Well of course this is madness, what else would it be?_

Her again, _And if we shouldn't be in here, why not just leave?_

Funny how insanity can make sense where none should exist.

Yes, I left. I foolishly left the one thing keeping me from insanity... well, insane insanity, if there is such a thing.

I went to the door and peeked through the keyhole at the darkness outside, and... went through it.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

Aang entered and immediately was hit with an overcoming sense of dread, it was almost as if it were in the air. So thick he could almost smell it and taste it. It was the foulest thing he could think of.

Azula was spasming on her bed, giving short yelps of unbearable pain, while sweat kept the covers clinging to her skin and her hair in a matted mess.

Aang grabbed a chair and brought it up to the cot, sitting on its edge and wondering what to do.

He could contact Roku, but how could he help with such a serious problem, he could find someone in the spirit world... but who knows what could be there.

He felt helpless, and did the only thing he could do, he spoke.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

The blackness gnawed at my legs, chewed my arms untill they bled profusely, but this was just in my mind, so death couldn't take me away from the pain.

It consumed me, became me. The only thoughts that came to mind were of the failures. The sins. The false hopes.

My limbs were being pulled from their sockets, the skin felt as if it were being burned with an iron, chewed by a shark, and twisted into broken pieces, only to find out they were fine, untouched, as they should be. But they would just be torn at again, and again, and again.

I couldn't see anything, everything was dark, shadowy shapes were everywhere, the only break in the blackness the white teeth of the demons killing me, over and over again.

My flame, my soul, was dimmed to almost nothingness, and I knew that if it ever went out, I would die. But not just any death, it would continue, the darkness, the chewing, the raw pain of it all. It would only escalate.

It would make sense why I would be subject to such things, but I wouldn't know where it would come from, it just did.

But something happened. The darkness, the demons, the shadows... left.

In the blink of an eye, it just disappeared.

My limbs stopped burning, my skin felt fine... it was the oddest feeling in the world, finally being alone with your thoughts... except I wasn't.

There was another, golden, a pure white enveloping his body. When he spoke, the sweet taste of honey touched my tongue, but only for a moment.

He was there, his eyes showing solemn pity, his mouth in a weak smile, his head... bald.

_Azula?_ he said.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

She finally woke.

For a moment her spasms stopped, her muscles relaxed, and her face changed from pained to relief.

Her eyes snapped open, her golden irises adjusting to the dim glow from a single candle.

Aang took in a quick breath, observing.

She breathed, focusing on nothing but the feeling of air going through her throat, over and over.

They stayed like that, rock still once more, listening to nothing but her breathing.

Her eyes flickered around the room, first focusing on the ceiling, then across from her bed, at the table with the candle, burning and basking the room in its soft flow.

Then she turned her head to the left, to see the same figure from her mind staring back at her.

Except it was flipped, his robes appeared golden in the light, his blue tattoos appearing more prominent.

Their eyes locked. They stared, each surprised by the other. It felt like hours until someone broke the silence.

"Avatar." she said, in a soft, raspy voice, merely acknowledging his existence.

Aang released his breath, "Yes, I'm here."

She looked around, finally conscious to her surroundings, "Where am I."

"Aboard a ship, heading to a mental facility."

Her eyes betrayed a sense of deep sadness before she once again became under control of her emotions, "Where is this facility?"

"In the Earth Kingdom, a nice place by the beach, you'll like it-"

"No," she interrupted, I won't."

Her interruption came as a surprise to Aang, was she really _that_ sane when he was around her?

"How much longer will I be aboard this ship?" she gave him a rock-hard stare of malice.

"Another week."

"Where are we currently?"

"In the middle of the Mo Ce Sea, between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom."

She sighed and tried to get up out of bed.

"No, don't get up yet." Aang stood up and walked over to her.

"Don't touch me." she said sternly, looking up at him with her golden eyes ablaze with anger.

"You're not ready to stand, lay back down." he said, persistently.

"Do. Not. Tell me. What. To do." her eyes burning even brighter with hatred.

Aang stood his ground, "Lay back down."

"Make me." her right arm was secretly behind her back, prepared for attack.

He sighed, "Please."

_Stubborn one isn't he._ Azula thought.

A rap at the door.

Aang continued his gaze.

More knocks, more sporadic than the last.

"Better go answer it, Avatar." she said spitefully, "Don't want to keep your fans waiting."

Aang lingered as long as he could, before finally snapping away and stepping to the door.

"I don't want to see you here again." she said.

Aang looked back at her, she was sitting upright, her feet touching the ground, her arms crossed.

"I can't guarantee that." he opened the door and walked off.

Yuchi, of course, was the one who knocked on the door.

"What is it?" Aang asked bluntly.

"You ran over your time limit five minutes ago."

"What? Time limit?"

"No one told you?" she asked, surprised, "You have a fifteen minute time limit with her."

It surely didn't feel like fifteen minutes, "That's ridiculous! How do you expect me to help her if-"

"I don't, that will be my job when we reach our destination."

"You see how well she is with me! She only ever even wakes up when I'm around! I can help her much more than you can."

"Would you like me to remind you of your Avatar duties?"

Aang couldn't respond to that.

"You are responsible for millions of lives around the Earth, and you are proposing to focus on only one. How dare you, in all your selfishness-"

"This is selfishness? Offering to help a soul I've all but destroyed? You've seen her! You've laid eyes on the insanity I've caused, the destruction formed in my wake!"

Yuchi steadily gazed into his eyes, "Do as you wish." before walking away.

Aang stared after her as she went, the anger slowly seeping out of him.

_She _is_ the only one who knows a way back..._ he thought, so he followed her

_****_

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**This story is getting crap loads more attention than my others, I guess because it's an actual ship and not an AU.**

**Well, next chapter will be a big one. The big extravaganza. The reason you're reading this story.**

**Yes those brigands will be in it, yes you probably already know what's going to happen, but you don't know _why_ yet do you ;)**

**I realized that when I wrote the beginning chapter to this I featured Momo on his shoulder, and now he's gone. So I made that correction. If you would read the first chapter, you should notice that I completely took away that part of the sentence.**

**I've also had someone note that Aang could simply fly away on his glider once he got on the island, but you should also note that he doesn't have his glider with him.**

**Wow this is a long postscript... anyways.**

**Alert & fav if you think it's worth it, review _whenever_ possible!**

**The opposite of war!**

**(PEACE)**

_**By the way, part 5 will be posted in a few minutes, maybe an hour. See you then ;D**_


	5. V

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**I think an apology is in order...**

**Sorry I didn't post another chapter like I said I would. You know how parents are "Get off the computer you lazy goof!" and such.**

**Anyways, sorry for the delay. Enjoy :D**

**Stranded V**

Two guards walked down the hallways of the _Gudan_, chatting and eating a donut as they went.

"I just can't believe we simply cram them all in a ship and drop them off like some bus. This is the _Gudan_ we're talking about. If she were refitted for war I'm sure we'd rally behind an image of _her_ if it ever sunk. This thing's a beauty!"

The other rolled his eyes, "I think your sea legs are screwed on a little too tight. You've been talking about nothing but ships since you knew we were stationed aboard this ship. The _Gudan_ this, and the _Gudan_ that; lighten up. This voyage is only for a week and a half, and after that you'll be jabbering on about the next ship we patrol on."

"Oh shut up. You just can't appreciate the true wonder of the naval-"

A stark bang resounded through the hallway.

They both stood rock still, waiting for anymore unusual noises.

After about three minutes, "What was that?"

The other looked up and down the hallway, "I'm not sure. We're the only ones scheduled in this area for at least another half-hour."

Another bang, this one further down.

"Come on." he said, motioning for the other to follow.

They crept as silently as they could, which wasn't much at all.

When they had come to a split in the hall, one looked left and the other right.

All was clear.

They stood in thought for a while, looking up and down, on all sides, surveying the walls and ceiling for anything unusual.

Another bang, this time down the left hall.

"Come on!" they ran as fast as they could.

They came across a man dressed in all green, with a hood covering his face in shadows.

"Hey!" the guard screamed, "Stop! What are you doing here?"

The man was tampering with the duct system, pulling off the cover and placing something inside it.

The man clad in green stood and moved on like he wasn't even there.

"Hey you! I am an officer of the Fire Nation Royal Navy! And I am officially putting you under arrest for trespassing on royal property!"

He laughed, "You're going to arrest me? But I have an invitation. Here, let me show you."

His voice was like a snake's, his eyes a strange green, the only skin showing pale as snow.

The officer tensed, "Don't step any closer."

He did.

"I said stop! I am authorized to use deadly force on anyone I see breaking the law aboard this ship!"

He laughed even more at that statement before suddenly stopping and giving a deadly glare, "Then dance red coat."

He rushed forward with so much speed he would almost not be seen moving had you blinked, giving the soldier almost no time to retaliate. His dagger whizzed within his hands, striking vital points in the body with the precision of a trained hunter and the speed of a cheetah.

He finished him off with a quick slash to the throat before giving his accomplice a similar fate.

When he finished, he surveyed his kills.

_These will make good tokens._ He thought, taking up the few coins in their purses and placing them in his.

He finished his job with time to spare, and decided to finish off the donut one of the guards had left.

He radioed his boss, "Hallways four, six, and eight complete."

"Good, Facemask four, five, and six have completed their jobs, and one, two and seven are almost complete."

"Anything else I need to accomplish before we take our friend and go home?" He asked, hoping extra coin would be in for him if he said yes.

"No, report back to the cargo hold and wait for further orders from Facemask Leader. Over and out."

_Damn,_ he thought to himself, _I guess the default payment will have to do._

He strolled back down the hallway, whistling.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

Aang's eyes snapped open.

It was still night, no one was in the room, and there was an odd feeling of silence, one not even interrupted by the engines.

_Why were the engines out?_

Then, a rumble, a vibration that rocked the entire ship.

_What is that?_

Again, except larger, more pronounced.

He pushed the covers off his body and moved to stand.

_**BOOM!**_

The door to his cabin burst open in a loud explosion, sending debris and fire everywhere.

A shard of metal struck his face, leaving a gash across his chin.

The pain was muted by the adrenaline now coursing through his body and the pure shock of the whole situation.

He went to the doorway, now edged with sharp protrusions of ripped metal and peered outwards, the entire hallway was filled with half a foot of water, and more was pouring in through the hole formed directly across from his room. The most probable cause of his door's explosive death.

Without thinking he immediately froze the hole with waterbending to stop the flow.

A woman's shriek.

Aang turned to see the body of a dead soldier, his legs cut clean off and blood running into the water.

Aang's first reaction was shock. _Who would do this?_

The woman saw Aang and stopped screaming, who else could help her but him?

"Avatar! Come he-" she never got to finish her sentence.

Another explosion rocked the ship and fire engulfed her, Aang turned away, both to shield his eyes from the bright flame and so he didn't have to see her fate.

He turned slowly to see the damage, but turned back again quickly.

It was too much.

He ran the other way before waterbending a wall of ice to stop the flow of water from getting any more prominent.

He ran through a few hallways he found familiar, before more explosions rocked the ship and more water filled into the hollow can.

He went up a staircase and into the lobby again, where soldiers were grouping the civilians on board.

Someone approached Aang, "Avatar! Thank goodness you're onboard. We have more civilians on the upper floors we need you to-"

"What about the inmates?" Aang asked.

The soldier looked shocked, "Why would you save those-"

More explosions, this time one that could literally make you feel the ship sinking lower from the intake of more water.

"Avatar, don't trouble yourself with those bandits and ruffians, they aren't worth your time."

"They're people, I'm here to help people."

His straightforwardness was not what the guard had heard the Avatar was capable of.

"Well then," the guard said, "Go, do whatever it is you want. I'll save these innocents myself."

Aang ran towards where he thought the prison room was, going through hall after hall, each in a different state of flooding.

He ran into one hallways so fast he nearly fell, except something was wrong.

There was another in the halls, walking casually, as if nothing were happening. He wore green, and his face was covered in shadow from his hood.

"Who are you?" Aang demanded.

"Who are _you_?" he replied.

His voice was snakelike, filled with an almost imperceptible hissing whenever he spoke.

He was taken aback, "What are you doing here?" Aang asked again.

"Sinking a ship. Nothing really."

_What the hell?_

"Wait... so-"

"Yep."

Before Aang knew what was happening he was pounced upon, the man running with almost superhuman speed and flashing his dagger.

The cold steel struck into Aang's left shoulder, thankfully missing any major areas, crafting multiple cuts in his flesh that let blood flow into his cloak.

Aang was thrown onto the ground, the water coming up to his ears and the green cloaked man atop him, raising his arm for another blow.

Aang bent the water around him to push him off, and freezing it to keep him from attacking once more.

The cloaked man broke the ice with a grunt and looked back at Aang with eyes ablaze with hate.

Before he could do anything, Aang bent more water to completely surround him before freezing it, locking him in an icy tomb.

He took no time to rest and quickly continued on his path.

Explosions rumbled in different areas of the ship, some near, some far, but all doing their intended purpose.

The door to the prison cells was burst wide open, the two guards brutally mutilated and thrown to the side with the force of the explosion, and possibly escaped prisoners. All the inmates were gone, having ran to try and get to the lifeboats on the top deck. Some had even turned on each other, with blood splatters and a few dead bodies littering the floor.

The water was rising, going from half a foot to a full foot in the time it took Aang to go from his room to the prison quarters.

There was no one to save, they had all got up and ran like the coward were.

He cursed to himself for believing in such false hopes and began to walk the other way, when there was a series of loud knocks.

He stopped, where had that come from?

Another series of knocks, muffled yelling.

Who else could be in here? All the prisoners were gone, and the only one that would have a chance of being here- AZULA.

He swirled around and quickly saw where most of the water was pouring in from, Azula's room. Water was coming in through the cracks of the door, and the window peering into her room showed it halfway filled.

Azula was banging on the doors and shouting, screaming for Aang to help her.

He ran over to the door and looked for the keys, "Where are they?" he shouted.

Her muffled voice came through the door, just barely audible, "I don't know!" she shouted.

He frantically looked around for an answer, before looking back at her.

Her hair was wet and her eyes revealing a look of desperation. The makeup on her face was running from the water, leaving black streaks coming from her eyes.

Aang saw the loss of hope in her, and determination filled within him. With a swift movement, he bent the water around him to the door and froze it, weakening the metal.

However, whenever he would do so, the edges of the door would lock up, letting the water rise much faster inside the room.

The water level in the room started climbing, rising from her waist up her sides.

Aang backed up and bend the water into ice armor around himself, before running as fast as he could into the door, busting off the ice and slightly denting the door.

He tried again, freezing the door and ramming into it with his ice armor. Over, and over, and over, and over.

The door dented in many places, the water coming up to her neck, but it wouldn't budge.

Finally, with one last ounce of effort, Aang tried again.

He froze the door, donned the armor, and used airbending to push himself forward even more.

It wouldn't move.

Aang stumbled back and took a breath. He wasn't getting Azula out anytime soon.

She was having trouble breathing, having to swim to the top for air.

The window was completely filled with water, and the hinges were in place too well.

She looked into Aang's eyes, pleading with him to find a way when there were none.

A tear came to Aang's eye, and he moved close to the window.

"I'm sorry."

A knife cut the air beside his face, landing in the metal of the wall, water spraying from the edges of the hole.

Aang turned to see the green cloaked man once again confronting him, "I don't believe we got off to a good start _Avatar._" he said the word as if it were a curse.

Then, Aang got an idea.

"No, I don't believe we did."

"Oh, it looks like your girlfriend is going to die. Too bad you couldn't-"

"Girlfriend?" Aang was almost insulted at the word.

Azula rolled her eyes from under the water.

"Oh... was I mistaken?" he asked.

"Yes... very."

"Well then... I'll make this as quick as possible." he sprinted forward.

He lunged with the force of ten men, with the speed of a cheetah, aimed at Aang.

Until he moved out of the way that is.

Aang quickly moved over to the side, hugging the wall with his back.

The man didn't see him move until the last second, and couldn't adjust his course any further.

He slammed into the door.

He fell over, unconscious, his head dripping blood from the impact.

The door's hinges shuttered, and more water began spewing in from the edges.

The window cracked, water spewed from there too.

The cloaked man looked up at the door, it was obvious it would blow anytime now.

He sighed, "Well... I'm screwed."

The door burst.

The hinges were thrown across the room and the door shot out like a bullet, taking the man with it.

The water came like a flood, increasing the water level from one foot to one and a half.

Azula was thrown with the door, washing into open air and landing on her back.

Aang ran over to her and got down on his knees, "Azula! Are you okay?"

She rolled onto her hands and knees, sputtering water and taking in deep gulps of the sweet air.

"I'm alive, is that good enough?"

He sighed with relief, a smile coming onto his face.

More explosions rocked the ship, and muffled screams could be heard through the layers of steel.

"We need to go." Aang said, quickly turning from joy to seriousness.

She sat upright and let her hair fall down.

"Can you walk?"

"You're a picky airbender aren't you?" she said through deep breaths.

Aang ignored the comment, "We need to go now." The water had already risen another half foot.

She tried to stand, and managed to through the grunting, "Well, I can't firebend what with all this water, so I guess I'll have to save killing you for later. That is, if the bombs don't get you first."

He ignored that too, "Do you need help?"

She pushed him out of the way, "I can walk fine."

Though she could walk, she was slow. Aang had to help her out when it came to the long stretches, when she didn't try to get him away.

They were going at a good pace, staying in the hallways with less water, when the lights went out.

They both stopped.

It was quiet. Nothing but the sound of flowing water. It was almost tranquil.

"What's that?" Azula asked.

"What are you-?"

"Sh!" she interrupted.

For a moment they heard nothing, but after a few minutes they could hear it.

A beeping sound, like an alarm clock's, but different.

It was close, almost as if it were in the vent right next to them.

Aang peered through the grate to see a round object blinking with a red light.

"Get down!"

He grabbed Azula and leapt as far as his legs would launch, bending a tight ball of ice around them as they fell to the ground.

The explosion rocked the small shelter he had managed to make and cracked its shell.

The fire melted a hole in the top and debris managed to make it into the semi-circle Aang had managed to make.

When the shockwave stopped, Aang released his control of the ice and let it flow back into water.

He stood and surveyed the damage.

The wall was blasted open, letting the frigid air of the sea waft in.

Azula stood and leaned against the wall. "When will any of this end."

"When the ship sinks."

She let out a small chuckle, "Or we die."

"Or that..."

Aang took some time to stare out at the sea, painted black by the night.

The moon stamped her image on the surface of the water, and gave a dim glow to everything under her gaze.

"We gonna get moving or wait for the water to suffocate us?"

He noticed that the water was rising, no, the ship was sinking.

Quickly.

Half the ship was already consumed and more of it was being dragged under at nearly an inch a second.

"Seriously Tattoos, we need to go."

_What was that?_

Aang turned, a smile on his face, "What did you call me?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Tattoos. No? You don't get it? The blue arrows and the... never mind."

He chuckled, "Well... we better get going."

"As I've been trying to tell you."

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

**Hai dare!**

**I was going to expand this to the entirety of the ship's sinking (oh noes! Spoilers! :P) but that would almost double this story's length.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reading this, if you are, then I guess I can count you as a loyal fan :D**

**I was gonna have a *blush* scene under the ice shell, but that would be way too soon ;)**

**Soooo, without further adoo *ahem***

**Alert & fav if you think it's worth it, review whenever you get the chance.**

**(thanks to Black Diamond07 for the clarification on the opposite of war xD)**

**PEACE**


	6. VI

**And so, after days and days of his fun-filled vacation, Mastermind finally began the trek home from his [location classified] vacation home. When he finally made it, he was delighted to see his room back in the clothes littered state he left it, and plopped on his bed in delight. But returning home was only the beginning. His mind felt strange back in its old habitat, finding things that would be common knowledge strange facts. So, he did the only thing he knew he could do, injected himself with more and more of his precious entertainment source, video games. He played for hours and hours, becoming accustomed to the old feel of his chair and the comfort it provided. When he finally felt accommodated to his biome, he realized something... HE HAD A CHAPTER TO WRITE.**

**Stranded VI**

Aang and Azula ran down the halls of the sinking _Gudan_, ducking under fallen pipes and making detours when the way was blocked.

When they made it to the galley, it was a horrible scene. The explosions had taken place during dinner, and more explosives were placed here than any other area. Dead bodies, mutilated corpses, and pieces of flesh were everywhere. Aang took his cloak and held it up to his mouth to avoid the stench beginning to take root.

The water here was stained blood red, and higher than anywhere else.

A radio was in a fallen soldier's hands and emitting static.

"Can we use that to signal anyone else on the ship?" Azula asked.

"Yeah, good idea." Aang picked up the radio. "Hello? This is Aang. Can anyone hear me?"

More static.

"This is Aang, Avatar Aang, is there anyone on the other end?"

The static stopped and was replaced by the sound of someone breathing into his radio.

"Hello? Is anyone-"

"_Sh!_" he interrupted.

Aang stayed quiet, Azula leaning in as if the radio were a picture screen. Several minutes of tense silence went by before anything else came through the speaker.

"There. Those green bastards almost found me." he said in a gruff and masculine voice with a slight australian accent.

"Hello? This is Avatar Aang, is-"

"Yeah I know who you are. I heard you were aboard. Never really cared though. You just attract more unneeded attention."

Azula huffed, "Tell me about it."

Aang gave her a look and went back to the radio, "Who is this?"

"This is Officer Tin, I oversee engine maintenance and make sure the rich and noble get to where they're going."

"But this is a prison ship," Aang said, "why are they even on here?"

Tin chuckled, "That, dear friend, is a good question. But back to the here and now. Why exactly are you in the galley?"

"Oh, we just wanted a quick snack before we catch the next life boat out of here." Azula jeered. "Nothing special."

Tin laughed through the radio, "I like your attitude little missy."

Her face turned red, "What did you just call me?"

"Don't worry about it sweet-cheeks."

Steam might as well have been coming out of her ears.

"Now," he continued, "how badly do you want to get off this sinking steel can?"

Aang smiled, "We would love to stay, but we don't like to get wet."

He chuckled, "Then follow my directions."

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

A group of the green terrorists were silently making their way to the deck of the ship, where they knew more of the occupants would be.

When they made it to the door overlooking the deck from a balcony, one of the men was ordered to stay there and oversee the operation about to take place.

The rest filed to the steel door that led to the deck.

The lead looked to the others, nodded, and opened the door.

Everyone on the deck turned, their faces pale with shock. When they saw who was coming through the door, some even fainted. The few remaining soldiers turned and ran towards the green men, circling them with fire in hand.

"Give up! You're outmatched!"

The head of the group chuckled and said in a voice like honey, "Oh no, it is you who are outmatched."

Knives flew from their sleeves, dropping three of the nine guards. The rest either dodged them or were hit in non-lethal areas. The soldiers responded by sending a flurry of fireballs from their palms, the heat making the steel where they hit red hot. But they were no use.

The attackers started advancing, dodging fireball after fireball, moving with a deadly grace that would have been beautiful under different circumstances.

When they made it face to face to the soldiers, they had already won. They moved their arms in a blur, seemingly doing nothing but tapping them. When they had finished, the soldiers stopped and sank down to their knees, clutching their stomachs in agony.

One of the nobles stepped forward from the group, "What did you do to them?" he asked in a strong and steady voice.

"Oh, we simply tickled them to death." one of them said, which didn't exactly appeal to the nobles.

One of the green men whispered to the leader, to which he nodded in agreement.

He cleared his throat, "Alright everybody, we're gonna go ahead and make this short and sweet. Well, not sweet. Short and painless would be more correct."

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

Aang and Azula ran through more hallways, up more steps, and got their feet wet in more water. When they finally made it to the door Tin had specified, Aang sighed in relief.

He went to knock on the door.

"Wait." Azula interrupted. "Let me."

Aang turned, "Why you?"

She walked past him to the door, "Because we don't know if this is a trap or not. And I'm a better bender than you." she knocked on the door.

Aang was about to say something else when the door swung open quickly, and big strong arms pulled them inside before closing the door.

"Are you alone?" he asked in total darkness.

Aang was having trouble breathing in his strong grasp, "Yes, we are." he managed to say.

"Good." he let them go.

Azula immediately went into a ready position and lit her palms with fire, illuminating the area around her and Aang, "How _dare_ you grab the Princess of the Fire Nation without her consent! I will make sure you sink into the depths of-"

"Yeah, keep blabbering princess." he said, before flicking on a set of lights.

The room was big, very big. And dry. No water was on the floor and the room was much cleaner than other parts of the ship. There was a large rumbling engine on the far side of the room, and a console with blinking lights and switches on the wall beside the giant rumbling rumbling contraption.

A metal table was to the right, with a radio and a small dagger.

Aang rubbed his side and stood, "Are you Tin?"

He laughed, "Who else?"

Aang looked around, "Is there anyone else here?"

"Does it look like it?" he said.

He sighed in relief and leaned against the wall.

"But don't get your hopes up, guards could pop in here at any moment."

Aang stood up straight and looked over at Azula, who was still eyeing the officer with a suspicious gaze. He looked back over to Tin, "Why did you call us here?" Azula looked over.

"Short and to the point, I like that. But why else but to grant me a hope of escape? You're the Avatar, right? So you should be able to give these green scum bags what they deserve."

"But even if he _is_ able to beat all of them," Azula pointed, "how will we survive a sinking ship?"

"That, is where the Avatar comes in handy." Tin said. "You're a waterbending master. You should be able to make an ice-raft or something, right?"

Aang thought it over, "Well... yeah. But-"

"Then what have we to worry about! We beat the men, make an ice-raft, get off this can, and we're home free!" Aang looked worried at his seemingly flawless plan. "What is it?" Tin asked.

"Well, many things. This entire plan rotates around the fact of me defeating several armed men, of which I've only managed to beat one. And also, you're saying I can make an ice-raft. Well let's suppose I do. Would it be able to float? And even if it did, do you realize how cold that would be? We'd die of hypothermia for sure, if the hunger didn't get to us."

Tin sat blinking at Aang, "Well... it was worth a shot."

"More like a shot to the face." Azula mumbled.

"Well... do you have a better idea?" Tin asked Aang, oblivious to Azula's comment.

Aang sighed, "I've had almost no time to think since these bombardments started. I don't have a clue, unless any of the lifeboats are still intact."

"No. Think, airhead. Do you think they would leave any survivors? The lifeboats would be the first thing they would go for."

Tin and Aang turned to each other before turning back to her, "Airhead?" they both said quizzically.

She blushed, "It's just- oh shut up."

Aang shrugged, "I'm surprised you haven't said anything stronger."

"Alright. Moving on. So, no lifeboats, no chance of making a raft... we're going down with the ship, then?"

Aang slouched, "I guess so."

Tin sat in his chair in thought, trying to make sense of this chaos.

Azula sighed and smacked her forehead, "You guys really don't get it?"

They turned, curious.

"If there's no hope of escape, how will the green guys get home?"

Tin and Aang sat in thought for a minute.

"You've got a point." Aang said.

"Exactly. So, why are we wasting time here?"

"Wait." Tin interrupted, "I might have some men we could use. You know, to help take whatever they're using to get out of here."

"Where are they?" Aang asked.

"On the main deck, protecting civilians."

"Can we get there in time?" Aang asked.

He smiled, "As long as we use the shortcut."

Aang quickly looked at Azula before turning to Tin, "We could at least try."

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

The green cloaked men were shoving the last of the bodies off the ship, heaving on a particularly heavy soldier, laden down with gear.

"That's the last of them!" one of them shouted to an off board ship.

Another waved back from the boat and had it move forward.

The door swung open on the far side of the deck, and a group of them came out onto the deck with one of the prisoners leading.

"I'm surprised it took you this long Meiko."

Meiko, the leader of the operation, bowed, "It is good to see you in good health Shin Qang."

"Hmph, if you had taken any longer I would not be in such 'good health'. However there might be someone on board who would jeopardize this operation."

"Who is it, O Glorious Shin Qang?"

"The Avatar. I saw him take a female prisoner from her cell while I watched from above. He already killed one of your men."

"It will not happen again, Shin Qang." he said with a bow.

"It better. You know what happens to people who become a liability to my cause."

Meiko held his bow and averted his eyes. "Yes, Shin Qang."

"Good, and when all this is over, I'll be sitting back in my suite in BaSingSe, and this will have never happened."

A few men helped him into the boat, and others got out to look for Aang.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

Aang, Azula, and Tin were ducking into a small, narrow passageway. It felt dark and damp, with the only lighting being scant red lights scattered here and there. The floor crunched under their feet from the concrete, and the smell was violated by the stench of rat dung and mold. Aang didn't dare touch the walls to see what they felt like.

Tin started whistling a tune as they went, changing from song to song in a medley of sorts.

Azula flinched every time he changed tunes, "Could you stop that pointless clamor?"

He stopped and chuckled, "Anything for you milady." saying the word with a hint of sarcasm.

Azula rolled her eyes and continued with a bored look the rest of the way there.

There was a slight feel of discomfort that took its roots into her spine, sending the hair on the back of her neck raised, as sentinels watching her six. She stopped and held up her hand. "Do you hear that?" They both looked around.

"It's something big. It's getting closer."

Aang, who was in back, turned. He squinted his eyes in the dim light but couldn't see anything. Then a light, far back where they came from, went out.

"Wait. A light went out."

"Oh great, power outage." Tin said.

A great rumbling shook the metal around them and rats scurried past them, ignoring the giants in their path.

"No, it's something else." Aang concentrated as hard as he could, peering into the dimly lit depths. Another light went out. "There goes another. What could that be?"

"It sounds like..." Azula's eyes widened. "Water! GO!"

"What?" Tin asked, confused.

"The engine room just flooded! **GO!**"

Tin turned and ran as fast as he could in the cramped hallway, which was only a fraction of his normal speed. Now that the water was getting closer, the smell of the salty water wafted in, and cooler air rushed by them. The feeling was good, despite the death coming only a little ways behind them.

There were only a few more lights ahead of them, each about ten yards spaced between them. When they made it to the last light, they could hear the water rushing towards them, and the smell of salt overcame all other senses.

They finally made it to the end, where a large space and a ladder waited. It went upwards many floors, each numbered from 1-15, 15 being the floor they were on now.

Azula walked up to the ladder and grabbed on, "Come on. Let's go." she started to climb.

Tin grabbed onto the ladder and started to climb with her.

Aang was about to climb when he thought better of it, instead using airbending to jump up from floor to floor.

The ladder was rusty, the paint long flaked off from lack of attention, and the screws creaking ever so slightly.

When they made it to floor 11, Azula got off and slumped against the wall, taking in breaths. Tin made it to her level and laughed, "Come on princess, can't wait for the water to catch up with you." Azula looked over the ledge and saw the water had made it to the room and was rising.

She sighed, _Why can't we just get off this ship?_

When they made it to floor six, as specified by Tin, Azula's hands were red and the early formations of blisters forming, her forehead sweaty. Tin on the otherhand was used to using his hands, and simply chuckled when Azula finally made it. "Bit of physical exertion can be good for you, you need to get outdoors more."

"Oh I get outdoors." Azula mumbled to herself. "So where do we go from here?" she asked.

"Well, this floor leads directly to the main deck, the first floor of the crew quarters, and the first-class bunks, but I'm sure the men have already rounded up the last of the survivors and taken them to the deck. Follow me."

He took them straight through the hallway they were on, and then into a bigger main hallway that was lit with much more lights. They went straight until they were confronted with another metal door, this one less about thickness and more about being watertight.

Tin opened the door and stepped onto the deck, "Does anyone...! Wait a sec." something flew through the air and hit him on his bald head, leaving a purple mark and making him lay down flat on the ground, unconscious.

Aang took Azula by the arm and pulled her to the wall beside the door. She shook Aang's hands off her and crept to the edge of the door.

"Come on out Air Boy! Before I go in there and do what the Fire Nation couldn't!"

Azula huffed and smiled, "We almost got them too." she said, within earshot of Aang, of course.

Aang ignored the comment and made a mental note to get back at her for that. He walked closer to the edge of the doorway, "I'll come out as long as you promise to put your weapons down and talk!"

Laughter was heard, another voice shouted with a strange accent "We've got orders to clear this ship out completely, you're not getting out without our consent."

Aang sighed and turned to Azula, "Can you firebend?"

She formed a blue flame at the tip of her finger, "Can you airbend?"

Aang nodded, "I'll talk to them more, see where their sentries are located, in the meantime you make your way to the balcony and-"

Azula blatantly pushed him aside and ran out the door firing a barrage of firebolts as she went.

_Or that._ Aang thought.

He ran out on the deck of the ship to find a cluster of green soldiers dodging Azula's blast and throwing knives back. Some were even throwing other firebolts back, or bending the water into ice spears to throw. Aang ran to Azula's side and bent the air around them into a transparent shield, blocking anything thrown at them and not limiting their field of view.

Azula continued firing away, a sadistic smile spread across her lips as she tossed balls of sapphire flames at the emerald men. That's when she noticed something was wrong. The men were simply dodging the blasts and advancing slowly, some even stepped backward to keep the ruse that her blasts were keeping them back, she cursed to herself and ran out of the airshield.

"Azula no!" Aang shouted as she ran.

She straight to one of them and threw a blast of fire at his face, sending him to the ground clawing his face and screaming in unbearable pain, leaving Azula reveling in his suffering. She moved on to a squad of five or six surrounding her, leaving no escape. She dropped to her knees and spun, shooting flames out in every direction.

The men surrounding her flew back, some landing on the deck and others flying into the ocean. More came from out onto the ship, climbing through the railings from somewhere overboard.

Aang let down the barrier and stepped forward, launching blasts of air to throw men off the ship, and firebending bolts of flame at enemies getting too close.

When they had finally defeated all that were on the deck, more crawled up from the unknown and sprinted around them in a circle, dozens upon dozens surrounding them from all sides. Aang and Azula stood with their hands up, looking around at the opposition, back to back.

"This is a situation." Azula whispered.

"Yes, it is indeed." someone said from the group. A short man in simple prison garb stepped from the masses, three other guards surrounding him, each wearing black and gold armor aside from the simple green cloth the rest wore, and one with a satchel around his torso. He had black, slicked back hair, shackle marks on his wrists and legs, and a nasty scowl on his face.

"You're the one from the prison cell!" Aang blurted out.

"Yes, I am indeed. But 'the one from the prison cell' isn't nearly enough to describe one such as I." he turned and whispered something to one of his guards, who reached into his satchel and took from it a blade, one unlike any Aang had seen before.

It had a black sheath with golden designs printed onto it, and a handle encrusted in black gold, with a single bright ruby gleaming from the pommel. When he unsheathed it, the blade was as black as night, the only reflection being the light of the moon on the polished metal.

He shoved the dagger back into the sheath and looked up from admiring the blade, "I am Shin Qang, perhaps you've heard of me?"

Aang searched his mind for information but came up blank, thinking only of the meaning of such a name, the Green Decade.

Azula sucked in a small breath and froze still at the mention of his name.

"Ah, Azula. I remember you! It is good to see you again despite these... circumstances."

Her eyes betrayed a feeling of deep fear, before she once again came to hold of her senses and snapped back to reality. "Why are you here?" she asked. Her voice hiding a hint of dread.

Aang looked over at her with a worried expression on his face. _She never loses control, why is she acting like this all of a sudden?_

Shin Qang chuckled, "Well, _I_ am here to be deported from the Fire Nation to an Earth Kingdom prison camp for _incarceration_." He said the word as if it were bitter to his tongue. "The better question would be why I am leading this endeavor." he motioned to the surrounding mass of men.

"Okay, why are you doing this?"

Aang took in a breath, _Why is she acting so submissive?_

Shin's smile got visibly bigger, eyeing his prey, "Well, I've decided not to go to prison. Much less an Earth Kingdom prison." He spat onto the deck. "Such filthy mud-lovers."

Aang started to calculate a way out of it, his forehead giving a bead of sweat.

"Oh, don't try to find a way out, Avatar, there is none." he seemed to think it over for a second. "You know, I just might not kill you. It would be good to find how much the Northern Water Tribe would pay to have you back. A shame she had to get in the way," he took the blade out and pointed it to Azula, "it would be much better to have her die in her cell than have me do it myself."

Aang's eyes widened as he saw him twirl the dagger in his hands with expert grace, flipping the blade in his fingers with the skill of a learned master. And the only reason a man would practice such a form was if they planned on using the momentum to throw it.

Aang anticipated the blade being thrown and positioned his body to block it with bending, however he soon found that that wouldn't work. It was coming too fast, and it would take too long to perform the specific form. His mind raced in the many different moves he could use, in all the different styles of bending. He went from idea to idea, from melting the blade with firebending, to bending water into an ice shield. He went over and over through different styles before realizing that the blade was close. Too close to block now.

Aang tense his legs and focused on only one motion, the simplest act he could do and the most risky one of all. It requires no bending, no special training, not even any special concentration. It was a move performed many times before by thousands of different people for a multitude of different reasons, and the reason Aang did it was for the deepest act of selflessness a human could perform.

The act of sacrificing one's life for another.

He leapt in front of Azula's body, catching the blade in his right shoulder.

He fell to the ground limp, a blood sacrifice to the Princess of Fire.

Shin Qang frowned, "Well... there goes my bonus payment. Oh well, this shouldn't take long. Boys, throw them both into the sea."

They moved in and chi blocked Azula of any movement, leaving her eyes racing around in their sockets.

The men took Aang's body and Azula's and tossed them off the ship, leaving their fates up to chance.

"What shall we do with Tin's body, sir?" one asked.

"Bring him with me." he replied.

_****_

**And so begins the plight and perill of the implausible pair of provocateurs! What will happen next in our thrill-filled episodic series? Find out next time in STRANDED!**

**Alert & fav if you think it's worth it, review whenever possible. **

**PAZ MEUS AMIGOS!**


	7. VII

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry it's been so long, I've been at Student Life at Orange Beach, Alabama, and you know what that means? Plenty of inspiration for THIS STORY!  
I've thought up some tricks up my sleeve to add additional plot later on, because when I originally wrote this it was gonna be a raw realism survival story (boring...) and now there's an actual reason for stuff to happen! (WOOT!)**

**I don't want to further take from your time with this story, so without further ado...**

**(P.S. Thanks for all the suggestions, means a lot to see all these reviews :D)**

**By the way, I _urge_ you to imagine this as if a movie in your mind, with different camera angles, dramatic music, and landscape shots to go with it. Just a suggestion, but when I read a book and do this, it makes the experience ten times better ;D**

**Stranded VII**

More darkness. The same, bland, darkness.

But something was different...

The same, bland darkness had an abnormal vibe to it, as if the shade of black was a little lighter, or the flame she hid inside of her were flowing with some unknown breeze.

When I entered, I felt strangely calm about the situation of being thrown in with the ravaging dogs and crushing black walls again. I tensed all my muscles in preparation for more pounding, scratching and tearing. But nothing was there. She wasn't there, _he_ thankfully wasn't there, and neither was anyone else.

I looked around and searched through flat, empty darkness. _Endless_ empty darkness, with no way of knowing where I was. Not that it mattered, the way I came in here can't help me.

When I had walked for what felt like hours, something caught my feet. I fell and hit my face against the cold black flooring, but it didn't hurt. This is _my_ mind after all. I looked back at what tripped me and saw a thin stream of light reaching out across the darkness, going as far up as I could see.

I looked back down at it and got on my hands and knees and rubbed around the area it was streaming from, looking for its origin. Bingo, there seemed to be a tiny hole in the floor where the light flooded through. I picked at it with my fingernail and the ground started flaking off, with more and more light coming in from the bigger hole.

I kept at it until I managed to get a large hole, about a yard across. I tried to look down into it, but the light was so bright it blinded me each time. I put my hand through it, trying to search for a flooring or door, something to help me get out of this mess, but there was nothing, just empty space, warm from the pure power of the light.

I looked around more and found a black rock I had missed before, probably the one I had tripped over. But what was it doing here, in all this darkness? I picked it up to test its weight, and it seemed heavy, but not too heavy, perfect for throwing.

I hefted it up, over the hole and let it go. It fell, and fell, and fell while I simply sat by the hole and waited, listening for a _clink_ or a _kerploop_ to signal it had hit the bottom. It didn't seem like it would hit the bottom anytime soon.

I sat down by the hole and sighed, staring at the light, hoping it would do anything, point the way, give a signal, something.

I lay down on the cold ground and closed my eyes, trying to make sense of this madness. Was it _her_? Someone else, spirits maybe? Whatever it was, at least it gives me something to look at, something different in this barren wasteland.

I looked around once more, taking in the darkness of the landscape and contrasting it to the light. _What if it attracts others? What if it's a beacon for some kind of monster?_ I scanned the area frantically, my eyes darting around my sockets. My mind started to play tricks on me; patches of darkness seemed darker than the rest, eyes popped in and out, monsters snarled from their hidden depths bats flew and clawed at my hair.

Then the dogs came again, clawing and biting every inch of flesh they could. I screamed, and screamed, and screamed, my voice cracking from overuse and my body bleeding from the injuries.

My flame was once again battered, beaten, bruised; wavering and dimming in the harsh winds of my insanity.

My insanity...

_My_ insanity...

My insanity...?

Why am I insane? Why is this happening?

They continued scratching and clawing, barking and biting, but I didn't care any more. I went into my inner-mind, my consciousness, and curled around my flame. My sapphire flame. _My_ sapphire flame. No one else's.

_This is my flame, inside of my mind. My solace from the storm, my protection and inner hopes..._

My_ protection and inner hopes, no one else's. This entire land is mine to control, under my command. Wait... if this is true, then why are _they_ here?_

I came out of my inner-mind and back to the chaos of the wolves. I tense my body and sent all of my muscles rigid, fighting the pulling and the scratching with all my might. And just when I thought they might take me, I had enough.

_Enough!_ I shouted, but the dogs didn't respond.

_No more!_ I screamed, and yet they didn't acknowledge.

_This, must, end._

I stood amongst the demons and hellhounds and rose to my feet, my skin covered in bloody scratches and my hair chaotic in its entanglement. However they _still_ did not cease.

I looked up and saw the light once more, reaching up into the unknown height of my mind, a stoic symbol of change, a resolute representation of hope, and a vision of peace.

My mouth dropped in awe of the realization, if I wanted to stop the demons, why am I not trying? I reached into my flame and pulled it out into my hands, lighting them ablaze in the sapphire flame. I raised my hands to the skies and threw them down, blasting superheated fire in all directions, and burning the wolves to a crisp.

I put the fire back inside of me and looked down at myself. Scratches and dried blood covered my body and my clothes were in tatters. I closed my eyes and imagined having a full set of clothing, and when I opened my eyes, there they were.

I turned my head side to side, searching for any more wolves or monsters of my own creation, but thank the spirits none were there. I looked back up at the towering beam of light, and felt the hope swell within me.

I looked down at the hole and knew what to do.

I walked up to the hole I had clawed, and did not hesitate.

I jumped in.

_** I**_

The sky, openly blue and cosmically beautiful stretched out as far as the eyes could see, with colossal white clouds stark in their illusion of solidity. Tiny black dots could be seen against the white of the clouds, more and more of them seemingly multiplying as they steadily grew larger.

As they got closer, short squeaks and wails could be heard occasionally, signalling the approach of something sapient. The sun moved behind a cloud, dimming the light cast on the vast ocean and making the faint black dots disappear.

After a few moments, the light came back, exposing the true form of the previously minuscule creatures. Their wings were adorned with a thick blue stripe, the tips of which were colored a dusty black. Their beaks were a pale orange, with a much fuller shade gracing the point. The eyes were a solid black, seemingly piercing into the heart of any soul who stares them face to face.

The graceful birds sailed through the air towards a large island, their minds awaiting the luscious paradise before them. They landed on the golden sands with a silent thump, grateful for the rest at the end of such a long flight.

One of the flock hobbled a little ways away to a strange sight, two humans, a boy and a girl, were huddled next to each other on a long piece of wood. He cautiously got closer and closer until he was directly beside them. He slowly reached down to the girl and moved in close to her face, trying to determine if he could eat her or not; after all, he had just finished an exceedingly long flight.

He positioned his beak right above the eyes and started to tilt his head back, when suddenly the human's eyes popped open and she breathed in loudly. The seagull flew back to the flock.

Azula began to breath deeply, her mind racing and her eyes rocketing in their sockets. _Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I sore? _She tried to search her murky mind for some sort of knowledge as to how she got here, but she couldn't come up with anything.

She slowly calmed herself down and tried to go through the basics before getting into more serious facts.

_Okay... I'm on sand. I know that much. My arms, legs, and head is sore, and my back is numb from... from... From what?_

She turned her head to look down, and saw a large piece of wood on the edge of her vision. She turned her head more to see that it was not only a large piece of wood, but a large piece of wood with someone else on it. She froze in place.

_Who is this person? Why is he here? How did we get here?_

He rolled onto his back and groaned, giving Azula a perfect view of his bald head. She looked at his forehead and saw an arrow tattoo. _Arrow tattoo? What kind of a person-_

Her eyes snapped open even wider as the memories flowed through her brain. _There was a battle, Katara and Zuko defeated me. I was chained, sent to an Asylum. I was transferred to be brought to a new facility. I was put on a ship, a big ship. The _Gudan _was it called? We were sailing, about three days into sea, or was it four days... it doesn't matter. We were attacked by... green cloaked men. They were led by..._ More memories from the past rushed into her brain, making her physically and mentally crinch. _Him._

She lay in silence for a while, coming to terms with everything she had learned. She tried to think of how they would get off the island, how to get home. Her stomach growled. _And how to find food._ She ran through all the different ways she would do so, but realized that all of it hung on one action she had to take.

_Time to get up._ she thought.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIII**_

**Hey guys...**

**Hold on, let me go and see when was the last time I updated this story.**

**Hm... I guess three weeks isn't **_**that**_** bad. I expected it to be more.**

**Anydoodle here you go! Part 7! In all it's cliffhanger ending glory!**

**I'll have another chapter posted soon (soon, as in, sooner than last chapter .)**

**Alert & fav if you think it's worth it, review whenever possible. **

_**PEACE!**_


	8. VIII

**... it's been a few years.**

**Stranded VIII**

The sky was dark, yet lighter than it had been an hour earlier. The calming lap of the sea could be heard as well as the cries of seagulls from their duties in the heavens. A man dressed in a green hooded cloak sat on the deck of a well-sized metal vessel, designed specifically for the task it was now on. It's fuel canisters held enough juice to get her from the Southern Water Tribe to the Northern and back, yet the yacht's speed could outmatch even a Fire Nation Destroyer.

The man took off his hood and looked up to the sky. His eyes shined a bright hazel, almost yellow in shade. His hair was jet black and buzzed down to near baldness. A bit of stubble could be seen on his chin, with a rough 4 o'clock shadow covering everywhere else on his face. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, listening to the light rhythm of the metal boat.

As he was drifting back towards unconsciousness, a rough hand shook him. He opened his eyes to see another green cloaked man, his mask off. He had slightly longer brown hair, his eyes the same hazel. They had very similar facial features, ears and nose included.

"What do you want Di..." His voice was average, yet deeper than usual and with a barely perceptible accent. He was obviously tired.

Di laughed in a voice even deeper, "Nothing but a bit of conversation. It gets boring seeing the same scenery over and over. Have you seen Qang anywhere?"

"Nope. He's been in his quarters."

"Hm... aw well."

They sat in silence for awhile, waiting for the other to say something.

"We got a letter from Song a while ago." Di said suddenly.

The other sat up, "Really? Where is it?" he tried to hide his enthusiasm with indifference, but his body language betrayed him.

"Slow down there, bro! Here." He pulled a letter from a small satchel attached to his belt, "Here you go, Yu. Now I have to go check on the engines and make sure the cook does a decent job with the grub. I'll be back in an hour to wake you for shifts. Take care little bro." He patted Yu's shoulder as he stood and walked back into the hull.

Yu opened the letter quickly, his hands fumbling with the glue sealed envelope. When he had finally ripped it open he unfolded the parchment within. It read:

_Yu,_

_ Much has happened. I wish you to come home soon. It is very urgent._

_ Song._

What was this? The writing seemed almost scribbled, with stains of water on the stiff, faded, yellowed paper. Was she in danger? Did the house get evicted? They had at least another week to pay the rent! And that's exactly what he was doing here, getting income. Or... maybe she was-

"YU!" the shrill voice of an old man broke his thoughts.

Yu stood and went to the door leading to the captain's quarters. "Yeah?"

An old man with liver spots on his sagging skin squinted towards the door. "Qang wants to talk with ya."

Yu's blood went cold and a feeling of anxiety swept through him. He tried to conceal his feelings and nodded.

"Well, are ya gonna get in there or am I gonna have to open the door for yer sorry arse?"

Yu shook his head and went for the door, opening it with goosebumps running up his arms.

Inside the room was a profound exclamation of Qang's wealth. A polar bear dog fur rug was on the floor, the head immediately facing the entrance. Furniture of polished rosewood, the feet carved into dragon claws, stood around a desk. The desk was a big rock, the top sanded down to gleaming lines and grooves of marble, while the bottom portion was rough, unhewn save the underside being cleaved to keep the whole thing even.

Qang rose as Yu entered. He spoke nothing and simply motioned for him to take a seat.

Yu sat in the hard wooden chairs.

Qang sat back down into his chair, the same as the others but larger and with gold lining the armrests and velvet plush lining the seat.

He still said nothing, simply stared with his cold, pale green eyes. He took a sip from his tea, ginseng by Yu's nose, and closed his eyes.

Finally he let out a breath and spoke, "Yu, I presume?"

Yu nodded.

Qang took another sip of tea, his eyes glaring with an even heavier stare.

Yu shifted in his seat.

Qang sighed and began running his finger through one of the grooves on the desk. "Do you know where this rock has come from?"

Yu shook his head.

"You are aware of the story of how the Avatar stopped Ozai?"

Yu nodded.

"The Avatar trapped the Fire Lord in stone clamps, then used his power to take away his bending... This block of marble was exactly three point eight miles below the surface of that very spot."

Yu's eyes widened and he looked at the block of marble with more respect than he kept even for Qang. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

Qang smiled and clasped his hands firmly together on the table. "I'll cut the theatrics... I need your help. And should you choose to accept, you'll have more money than even the Fire Lord can boast of."

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

_A blinding white light was all he remembered._

_ The scream that tore from his lips coming second._

_ The blank face of a woman with hair jet black, the color of a raven._

_ Or was it auborn? With a blue dress?_

_ No. That wasn't it._

_ Invading thoughts racked his mind, fighting for control over the core._

_ Finally he recalled everything, as though a looking glass were put to his eyes and the fog rolled away._

"NO!" Aang screamed, his head beating as if a million shards of glass were rattling from within. Then, another pain, deeper and colder, stung his torso. He felt sweat at his forehead, and he felt hot. Too hot.

He tried to look around, but an inky blackness fell over his sight. He moved his eyes until they felt sore in their sockets. He tried to raise his hand to his face, but his strength only allowed him to raise it an inch before exhaustion overcame him.

He sat there, settling in the darkness for hours upon hours. Or was it minutes? A few seconds maybe? Days? Weeks? YEARS?

He was slowly becoming accustomed to his biome when a breeze gently touched his body, allowing him to finally feel something. It was soft and smelled of the sea, with touches of something else much more rotten and dead.

The breeze came again and this time he breathed it in fully, absorbing its aroma.

A seagull chirped.

A wave crashed.

Footsteps crunched the sand.

He opened his eyes to a full moon peering down on him from the heavens, the sky cloudless and a pure, deep blue.

He tried to look down at himself but he was far too exhausted. He grunted from the effort and the footsteps stopped.

His eyes widened as he realized he had just alerted someone to his presence.

The footsteps continued until they reached right beside him.

Two golden eyes stared down at them, almost feline in nature.

More sweat perspired on his brow and slid down his head to the sand. He hoped he, or she, didn't notice.

A voice, almost taunting came from the figure's mouth, "Well well, what do we have here?"

Aang froze at the voice. Azula's. His breathing began to increase.

"A tired little Aangy, all snug as a bug in the sand. Pathetic." she fell to her knees and looked with more interest. "I like that."

Aang began to sweat even more. His eyelid twitched.

"You. Sitting there. Practically paralyzed." she rolled the last words with a seductive tone. She got closer to his face and began tracing his cheek with her long fingernails, which seemed to be caked in something that smelled like copper.

Aang's heartbeat peaked. His ears reddened.

She got closer, their lips almost touching. "If I wanted... I could do whatever I-" Her eyes clicked and she stared blankly into space. "NO!" she screamed, practically in his ear. "Yes." came the seductive voice again. She staggered to her feet and held her forehead, her raven black hair, caked in sand and tangled from the beach fallig over her eyes. When she stood, Aang could see her legs. Blood came from numerous cuts bore into her skin. Apparently from fingernails.

"STOP TORMEN-"

"You deserve every second of it."

"WHY WOULD Y-"

"Because I love you."

"IF YOU LOVED ME Y-"

She froze in place, tears falling onto the sand. She stood completely still for so long it felt like hours. She only began moving again when the eastern sky began to turn a lighter shade of gray.

She moved the hair out of her eyes to see what was around her. Her eyes met with Aang's and she jumped, falling onto the sand behind her. She crawled backwards until she hit the water and stopped.

Finally she fell to the ground. Her hair spread across the ground behind her, the water lapping up to meet her every few seconds.

Azula was collapsed on the beach by the water, unconscious.

Aang was too weak to move, much less help her get up.

It was low-tide.

_**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_

**Well, that only took a year to write.**

**Get it? No? Oh...**

**Anyways, it's been quite a while since I've written... anything. And it's a snow-day for me here in Tennessee. \(^o^)/**

**Welp, here it is. In all it's glory.**

**Oh, by the way. Don't forget Yu nor Di. They're important.**

**And yes it is the Song from the series, with scars and all dat on her legs.**

**And she's in trouble, as said the letter.**

**Well I have to go. Lots of xbox to play, not enough time.**

**It's 8:11pm when I wrote this.**

**I'm beat.**

**Alert & fav if you feel the need, review whenever possible.**

**Peace! :D**


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